Silver

The WorldOn this planet, its inhabitants simply refer to it as The World. They call it that because though they understand the concept of a planet, they have seen no evidence of any other planets. In fact, some god-based religions speculate that there is another planet full of The World’s creators.

The World is divided into realms, large planes of earth and ocean. The world itself is immeasurably vast, and it is unknown exactly how many realms there are (though efforts have and are being made to record each realm). The realms themselves are separated by silver veils, magical auroras through which physical matter may not pass. Essentially, a realm is defined all the area enclosed within a border of silver veils. The veils may extend into or be found in the middle of a realm, but so long as they do not close off an area, they establish no new realms.

The World is proven flat. The Coriolis Effect does not apply, pendulums swing in a line indefinitely, toilets flush straight down, and there are no leap seconds. Most importantly, those realms at the edge of The World, through supernatural means, have discovered that beyond one or more of their silver veils lies nothing but the emptiness of space. As far as The World’s inhabitants can tell, the earth beneath their feet goes on infinitely. Some religions speculate that there is a world on the other side, or some other cosmic/heavenly existence.

A single sun overlooks The World, high above the moons. It operates in a 24 hour cycle, gradually increasing and decreasing in light. During the night, the sun is not visible. It does not appear to move at any time. The sun’s effect on each realm is basically the same, and its position does not appear to change regardless of which realm one stands in. It is thus theorized the sun is very far from The World.

For the most part, all the realms have adopted a standard measurement of time. There are 100 days in a month, 100 months in a year, and 100 years in an era. Since the counting of time, one era, one month, and nine days have passed. Dates are commonly expressed by only their day number, the units of months and years finding their place only in documents meant to stand the test of time.

Moons, Magic, and CrystalsWhereas there is only one sun, there is a multitude of moons. They are located at differing heights, but are believed to be much closer than the sun. Moons do not appear to affect gravity, and are visible during the day. They travel above The World’s surface at unpredictable speeds in unpredictable paths. A slow moving moon may rest above a single realm for years, and then zip over to another realm in a matter of hours. Moons occasionally collide with another, smashing into bits or cleaving another into small fragments. As such, moons are not always spherical, and can be tiny enough where they aren’t visible by the naked eye.

Moon collisions can create devastating meteor storms, sometimes even sending a mountain sized rock hurling toward The World. This can spell the end for a realm, and leave a lasting body of moon rock embedded in the earth. Also, small moons for some reason plummet to the earth, splintering and shattering as they go. As a result, small moon rocks can be found all over The World. Moons are made out of crystal, similar in appearance to jewels.

Most can immediately tell the difference between a moon crystal and a jewel, however, for moons are the source of all magic. There are six types of moons, one for each color of magic. A moon is always one color; crystals, despite all attempts, cannot be merged or combined in any way. The six colors are: green, red, purple, blue, yellow, and silver. Each color is associated with two elements and numerous values.

Green is the color of life and earth. Green is associated with growth, mirth, happiness, health, food, envy, decay, sorrow, survival, stability, chaos, instinct, stupidity, and common sense.

Silver is the color of death and the soul. Silver is associated purity, innocence, judgment, evil, apathy, harmony, transcendence, fate, divinity, heroism, and peace.

Because moon crystals are infused with the colors of magic, they are a sought-after resource, made use of in all manner of inventions. For instance, many sell-swords value blades wrought of silver crystal, as an opponent cut by silver may instantly be afflicted with death (granted the sell-sword is properly channeling the crystal blade).

Weather and TechnologyIn fact, The World is highly defined by magic. Weather, though it operates as physics would suggest it should, is largely a function of any present moons. As moons are enormous sources of magic, the sheer power they radiate changes the land beneath them. The larger and closer the moon, the greater the effect. As an example, consider a realm beneath a large red moon and a small blue moon. The blue moon might cause rainfall and weak winds, where as the large red moon would bathe the realm in perpetual light and scorching heat. If the red moon were larger, the realm might even experience wildfires.

Since magic is so prevalent in The World and all have access to it, technology is not only melded with magic but is based off of it. Inhabitants of The World were able to manipulate and control electric energy before they were able to communicate with words. Computers have yet to be developed, oil and natural gas are not fuels, and physics are often attributed to magic, not nature. There is sparse knowledge of biology, but medicine and healing is made possible through magic. Complex machinery does not exist, however there are often simple, magical substitutes, such as an animated golem in place of a crane. The most important law of The World’s technology is that realms can differ greatly in their inventions, styles, and age of development, due to the difficulty of passing knowledge between realms.

Heroes, Souls, and the Silver VeilsWhat happens in the afterlife is common knowledge in The World. Applications of silver magic have discovered that once a living thing is killed, be it sentient or not, its soul leaves its body and slowly drifts to another realm, somewhere beyond a silver veil. The soul will then linger in that realm until a new, compatible body appears that it may populate. Souls retain no memory once they cross the silver veil, but still carry their intrinsic values, beliefs, feelings, and personalities. A new life in another realm can then modify these before the soul passes on to yet another realm. The process is not perfect, however, and sometimes (very rarely) certain memories persist beyond death, the soul inhabits an incompatible body, or the soul is radically mutated. When such an estranged soul passes through a veil again, it will likely be returned to its normal state.

Occasionally, when a soul passes through a veil, it becomes a heroic soul (there are heroic rats, rabbits, kittens, and ferns). Heroic souls lose their heroic status once they have been disembodied and passed through another veil, similar to memories. The difference between heroic souls and non-heroic souls is that heroic souls are significantly more palpable via magic. Once a heroic soul takes a body, that being is called a hero or villain, depending on society’s reception of the individual. Heroes are generally found out at a young age due to their glaring differences from their non-heroic counterparts. Heroes are skilled at nearly everything they try their hand at. They learn quickly, often masters and prodigies in their field. Their reflexes are unnatural, and magic comes easily. Most prominently, they have supernatural abilities, unique to the individual. Some heroes can conjure lightning storms, whilst others become like lightning themselves as they perform their craft with blazing speeds.

All heroes share the momentous ability to walk through the silver veil. They can take no physical thing with them; however, they do have access to what is called the heroic pouch. Each hero has their own pouch, and it is theorized that the pouch is an extension of their heroic aura (explained below). The heroic pouch is a place of limitless space, and all the hero need do is open the pouch and place an object within. Thus a hero can carry an infinite amount of things (so it is believed), so long as he or she can fit them through the mouth of the pouch. The mouth appears as a silver line in the air beside the hero’s hand, and when stretched it remains a portal of silver aura. It can stretch to a width equal to its length, appearing a rounded diamond shape when fully opened. The length seems based on hero age, and as heroes have long life spans, the pouch can become quite large. In this way, older heroes can transport humans between realms.

Also, heroic bodies are gifted with the heroic aura, a shield against all harm. The aura is not detectable, except for when the hero actually has harm inflicted upon them. In this situation, silver aura appears around the hero’s body where the body would be damaged. The aura can absorb much pressure, but not all pressure. A blade that would cleave a man in two would only leave a cut upon a hero. Likewise, a fall that would normally kill a human would only impart bruises on a hero. As the heroic aura protects against all harm, it also reduces the effects of poison, disease, and hostile magic. Individual heroic auras have varying potencies, some being more effective against certain types of attack than others.

Heroes are expected to do great things, and are by and large treated as first class citizens. They are also expected to do battle for the public good, as they lend themselves so well to combat. This is because they are so hard to kill; even untrained heroes are a large threat. Their soul’s susceptibility to magic allows for easy resurrection if they do die, and their supernatural abilities, more often than not, are combat orientated. They are physically more capable: stronger, quicker, and metabolically superior (more often in-shape). As a final point, whether a hero likes fighting or not, they will be good at it if exposed long enough.

Inhabitants of The World Heroes are called upon to fight due to the influx of monsters which inhabit The World. Monsters are any living thing without a soul, and, for whatever reason, are generally malevolent when it comes to other living things, most of all sentient living things. Since monsters are often slaying machines, societies have come to rely on heroes to counter this obvious threat by virtue of their heroic prowess. Even in comparison to heroes, however, monsters can be quite dangerous, even powerful with magic (though not exactly cunning in its use and application). Many heroes have met their end against the monstrous horde. Monsters, then, are rightly feared. Those realms with monstrous problems view the green moon as ill omen, for it spurs monster growth, number, and ferocity.

There exists an unknown amount of sentient races in The World. Things like elves and fairies aren’t unheard of, but they are myths and child’s tales as much as they are real. Humankind makes up 95% of The World’s sentient population, and so humankind is naturally suspicious of all intelligent, non-human life, if just due to lack of understanding. Non-humans are accepted by most human communities even so, and non-humans need not worry about higher prices at the market. It’s simply more comfortable living with one’s own race, where they are more understood and better accepted.

Of the local flora and fauna of The World, many of the species found on Earth may be found on The World. Generally, however, The World boasts a lesser variety of species, as each must be more adapted to the highly unpredictable and ever-changing climate of each realm. A little over one-third of The World’s species are not found are Earth, and of those about half are fantastical or magical in some way.

Last edited by Ippy on Sun Jan 08, 2012 7:04 pm; edited 3 times in total

Heh, called it. I actually have no intention of playing this, I just made it.

The Player CharacterNeedless to say, you play a hero. The character creation and development process may be a bit lengthy, as you will be asked to customize and flesh out your character. In fact, you will be beginning the process by establishing your character’s details, such as background, personality, and appearance. There will be a number of restrictions, however, they are not set in stone. If you wish to deviate from the norm, ask ye GM for permission.

Race and GenderYou are human. If you want to be something else, speak with the GM. Likely, if you change races, your stats will not change. You instead will have to build your character within the normal system to reflect your race selection. You (probably) may be any gender available to your race.

Sentence PersonalityDescribe your character in one or two sentence. This is intended as a summary and a guideline.

Personality TraitsCome up with three one-word personality traits, and think of what each means to you and your character.

Belief(s)/Doctrine(s)By this age, your character has at least one belief or doctrine they adhere to. This can be a religious doctrine, or an observation about life. It could be a value such as hedonism or community. It can also be an anti-value, such as a disdain for despotism.

AgeYou are between the ages of 11 and 19. As a hero, you are exposed to more quickly and also mature more quickly. At the age of 11, you might act more like a 15 year old. At the age of 19, you’re, for all intents and purposes, an adult. You heroic pouch is a foot in length. This age restrict exists as older heroes would be more experienced and better practiced.

Height, Weight, Width, and BuildSpecify your height and weight in feet, inches, and pounds. Also specify your general build, and how your weight appears on your body. Are your thighs disproportionate to your belly? Are you toned, muscular, or lanky? Do you have a fat head, or wide berth?

Eye, Hair, and Skin ColorDetail the color of your eyes, skin, and hair. Also detail the amount of hair on your body, or if there’s any strange patches. Describe if you have a strange number of birth marks, tattoos, freckles, or moles. Perhaps you also have different colored eyes, speckled eyes, fantastical eyes, or are blind. Do you have any strange mutations?

QuirksDoes your character have any quirks, such as a twitch or tendency to hold his or her hands together as if in prayer? Discuss any jewelry your character likes to wear and any fashion statements they he or she is bold enough to make. Is there anything a bit strange, such as a teddy bear that your character has trouble sleeping soundly without? Why is your character like that, is there even a reason?

Expression and ImpressionFinally, what is your normal expression? When someone looks at you, do you appear a slight happy? Here you should describe the average person’s response to you, how they might judge you based on your appearance. This includes whether or not most would call you attractive. Heroes may be physically blessed, but they not need be attractive. Beauty is subjective matter.

HistoryWhat has your character been doing during his heroic life span? Has he already helped the realm significantly, or has yet to be called upon? Spend as long as you need on your background. However, certain things are true about your character. One: you are from the realm Acadia. You live in or on the outskirts of the town Lassene. Two: you have loved ones. Even if your family died early in your life, society itself would adopt you as you are a hero. Most people treat you with respect, gratitude, and kindness. Friends, even good friends, were not hard to find. Three: you’re well known, if only by the locals. A hero does not escape notice. Even those that conceal themselves are discovered by the powers that be, given that heroes are always magically capable.

Family and FriendsIn this section, better flesh out the loved ones you introduced in your history. Also describe anyone you didn’t explicitly name in your history. What do they mean to you, how have they changed or influenced you? What is the relationship? You are expected to have around three significant figures in your life, but less and more are acceptable.

Talking About Your CharacterWhen talking about your character to another player, refrain from imparting his or her beliefs and personality. Instead, show them through play. Instead of saying “my character doesn’t respect the law,” wait for a situation where “fuck the police” is an applicable statement for your character to make.

Also try not to give away your background, and give other player characters a chance to learn it from your character. Many people don’t speak of their past much unless directly asked, and even then they summarize and avoid detail. Even so, people frequently encounter things that remind them of their past or other people they know, and will say that aloud, seeking affirmation. That’s when others might inquire for more detail, or outright ignore the remark and not care.

When you describe your characters appearance, do not be so detailed. Instead, provide one or two sentences of summary. For example, “Jim is tall, yet squat with a scrunched face that makes him appear almost as if in heavy contemplation. He has a crop of coarse black hair, and his white skin contrasts heavily with his tan once his shirt is off.”

Leveling As your character continues along their heroic journey, they will gain experience points, specialization points, and all sorts of other points. For now, know that once you receive 100 experience points, you will level up, which has benefits as detailed later.

Combat StatisticsNow to decide your character’s basic combat statistics. These increase automatically when you level, but you need to determine how much they increase. For this purpose, you have 24 growth points to divide between eight statistics. You may put no more than 5 points into any one statistic. Each time you level up, your statistics increase by a number equal to the growth points you put into each respective statistic, with the exception of HP and MA.

Hit Points (HP): these represent you and your heroic aura’s ability to take a hit. HP returns to full after a long rest. You automatically gain 4 HP each level, plus 4 per point of growth.

Mana (MA): mana is required to cast magic. Whenever you use magic, you expend a certain amount of mana. Mana returns to its maximum after a long rest. You gain 6 mana per growth point.

Attack: this is added to your weapon damage. It determines your offensive capabilities in non-magical matters.

Defense: whenever you take non-magical damage, it is reduced by your defense.

Power: this is added to spell damage. It determines magical capability.

Resistance: resistance reduces the strength of hostile spells.

Speed: this increases your chances of acting multiple times in one round, and also determines whether or not your turn comes first.

Move: your move affects how fast you act, including cast time. It also improves your ability to dodge and strike with basic attacks.

Heroic Energy (HE): this ninth stat cannot have growth points placed into it. HE is similar to mana, however instead of using it for spells you use it for supernatural abilities. You have a maximum of 50 HE, and you gain 10 each round you are engaged in heroic activity. Once the activity stops, your HE returns to zero.

Supernatural AbilitiesYour character, as a hero, will gain supernatural abilities. All such abilities require an expenditure of HE, but other than that, there are few restrictions as to what a supernatural ability might entail. Your hero begins play with a single supernatural ability, and may gain more throughout his or her life. Whenever he or she gains a supernatural ability, you must decide what it is. In other words, you make it up, collaborating with the GM to decide exact HE costs as well as the effect. For your first supernatural ability, you probably want to keep the cost below 51 HE, and its per-turn cost under 14 HE. These are just guidelines.

Magical AffiliationThough most heroes are able magic users, their mastery with the different colors of magic are not the same. All spells are derived from a specific color of magic, and all spells have a complexity rank. In order to learn a spell, your hero must have mastered the appropriate color of magic at a sufficient rank. Thus, your hero has mastery over different ranks for each color of magic. He or she might be able to cast rank 4 blue spells, but only rank 1 red spells.

You must choose two colors to be your primary colors of magic. These colors should be those colors that best associate with your character (see Moons and Magic). You begin play able to cast rank 1 spells of each of these colors. The significance of your primary colors is more explained later.

Capacity SlotsIn the heat of combat, your character will not be able to remember every spell she or he has learned, they will not remember every useful item in their heroic pouch, nor will they recall everything their master at arms may have taught them. To represent this, your options in combat (or similar situations) will be limited by your character’s ‘capacity slots.’ In order to have access to an option in combat, it must first be prepared in a capacity slot whenever your character has time to stop and think. One exception to this rule is your supernatural abilities, which your character always has access to. The other exception to this rule is routine actions, such as breathing, or sticking the bad guy with the pointy end of a stick. You begin play with 5 capacity slots. You also begin with the actions guard, strike, cancel, use item (2), and cast memorized spell (see action list).

SkillsSkills represent your character’s aptitude in a multitude of fields. As a hero, your character can become a being of great skill and expertise. A hero learns quickly, and gains immediate benefits from practice, hands-on experiences, and studying. Whenever your character engages in such activities, they might gain an increase in the relevant skills as decided by the GM. Your hero may not gain more than 15 skill points this way per level, and as such you have every right to decline such an increase if you have other plans. You can also choose to take only a fraction of the skill increase offered by the GM. The skills are listed below, followed by examples of when they would come into play.

CharacteristicsYour character has five characteristics, which are a lot like statistics, except that they don’t automatically increase when you level. Instead, when you level, you can increase any combination of characteristics by three. For instance, you could increase combat twice, and magic once. You could increase luck three times, and so on. The characteristics are as follows:

Combat: Each time you increase combat, you may increase three of your combat statistics by one. Combat is also a requirement for many combat actions. To learn a combat action (such as strike), you can either be taught it if you meet the requirements, or you can develop, practice, and refine it yourself. In other words you can make up an action and attempt to teach it to yourself.

Utility: every 3 points in utility provides an additional capacity slot. Each time you increase utility, you gain 5 skill points.

Luck: luck increases the chances certain events go your way, and reduces the chances certain events go against your favor. For example, a high luck increases that chance your instant-death spells will take effect as well as reduces the chance of instant-death spells affecting you.

Magic: for every point in magic you have, the mana costs of your spells are reduced by one. Each time you increase magic, you also increase your rank in one of the colors; although, this is limited by your primary colors. None of your secondary colors may ever be higher than a primary color, and your primary colors may never exceed double the sum of your secondary colors. Be wary that you don’t increase your magic ranks above the rank of the spells available to you in The World. At rank 7 you are unlikely to find new spells, but may still find superior versions of old ones.

Heroism: each point of heroism increases your max HE by 5, your HE per turn by 1, and your link point (LP) maximum by 10. Link points are used to wear powerful artifacts and control NPC allies. You cannot wear an artifact or gain/use an ally (animal companion, summoned creature, etc) if it would exceed your LP max.

Specialization Points (SP)Specialization points are used to perform beyond the norm. You can use them to better an action, supernatural ability, magic task, etc. Specialization points make your character stick out from others. You could use them to increase skills in particular situations, or perform a skill trick. They are also used to develop proficiencies with weapons, armor, and items. They expand functionality, and improve your capability in specific situations. The sky’s the limit—well, actually, the GM’s consent is the limit. To gain a specialization, talk about it with your GM, then come up with the actual effect and SP cost. You are given SP itself by quest completion, challenge completion, clever actions, heroic actions, or whatever else the GM sees fit to award SP for. If you’ve played d20 games, think of specializations as feats. Specializations can have levels of potency, generally decided at the time of the specializations creation.

Level OneYou begin play with 300SP. You must purchase at least two weapon proficiencies. Your combat statistics are treated as if you had gained 5 levels, so a character with two growth points in HP would have a total of 60 HP. In addition, you have 30 random points to put into your combat statistics, though you may not put more than 15 points into any one statistic. If you so desire, you may subtract a total of 15 points from any combination of statistics (no statistic may go below zero) and add them elsewhere. You have 60 skill points to divide amongst your skills, although no skill may be raised above 20 this way. All your characteristics start at zero. Finally, you begin with 400 arcs (currency in Arcadia) worth of possessions.

Proficiencies and PotencyWhenever something requires a degree of familiarity to use properly, likely a character will need a corresponding ‘proficiency’ to use it without suffering penalties. For instance, to deploy complex traps without taking a penalty to the technology skill check, the GM might rule proficiency is required. Most weapons require proficiency as well (improvised weapon is a proficiency). Most weapons, without the appropriate proficiency, impose a -30% to hit. Any character can use any armor (provided they meet all the requirements, such as strength or luck) without proficiency. Armor proficiency instead confers benefits while wearing a type of armor.

Many specializations have a ‘potency’ level. Simply put, you can upgrade that specialization by spending more SP. The max potency is decided at the specializations creation. Other specializations may require certain potency be reached in a different specialization before they may be purchased. Additionally, high level of potency or rare specializations might require that you do more than just spend SP to gain the specialization.

Last edited by Ippy on Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:36 am; edited 9 times in total

Skill ChecksThe World operates on a d100 system. When it comes to skills checks, there is a percentage chance the player will succeed in their endeavor. The percentage chance is secretly set by the GM, and the player must roll under that. The player subtracts from their roll their relevant ability in the skill. As an example, say Jim wants to jump up, grab onto a chandelier, and swing across the room. The GM rules that there is a 30% chance of success, and that this is an acrobatics skill check. Jim needs to roll a 30 or less, but rolls a 44. Thankfully, his acrobatics skill is 24, so he passes (44-24 =20, which is less than 30).

DamageDamage is dealt through two means, magical and non-magical. The most common application of damage is through weapon attacks and spells. Damaging spells and weapons list their own damage, which is added to the attacking characters power or attack respectively. This number is called raw damage, and it may be modified by abilities or method of attack.

Landing a HitSome spells and most attacks have a chance to miss the target. All weapons have an innate hit chance, which is the chance you’ll hit the target. You subtract from weapon hit chance the target’s armor and the difference in movement statistics. You then roll a d100. Rollin less than or equal to the modified hit chance constitutes a hit, and damage/effects are applied. For example, Jim swings at an armored rat with a sword. The sword has a hit chance of 80. The armor’s value is 9. Jim’s move stat is 44, while the rat’s is 11. The difference between the two movement stats is 33, in Jim’s favor. So the modified hit chance is 80-9+33= 104%. Jim can’t miss.

SpeedThink of speed as mental attribute. It reflects things such as reflex and initiative. Each round where order of action matters, characters operate based on speed. A character has a percent chance equal to their speed to gain additional turns each round. A character gets an extra turn for every 100 points they have in speed. They then roll a d100. If they roll less than or equal to their remainder speed, they gain yet another turn. Characters with the most turns go first, followed by characters with the highest speed. Ties are broken by a lower d100 roll. For example, Jim has a speed of 140, while an armored rat has a speed of 11. Jim gets two turns, one naturally and one for having 100 speed. He rolls a 50 for his remainder, and thus does not get a third turn for the round. The rat rolls a 2, and gets a second turn. The order of turns for the round goes Jim, Rat, Jim, Rat.

You may choose to delay a turn and take it later. Delayed turns expire right before your next turn, so if Jim so chose the order of turns could be Rat, Jim, Jim, Rat. In the case where there are multiple delayed turns, whoever says they take their turn first takes their turn first. In the case where all relevant characters delay their turn, they all lose that turn. So if Jim delays his turn then the rat delays his turn, the order of combat becomes Jim, Rat. Jim and the rat can sit and look at each other until they starve, if they so desire.

MovementMovement is your characters physical ability to book it. Speed is the ability to decide, whilst movement is the ability to perform. In other words, there is a delay between when you decide on your action for a turn and the actual action. Generally, you will be able to perform most actions before your next turn, but in the case that you don’t, you may change your plan of action on the next turn. Actions of normal execution time or higher are performed at the end of the next turn (regardless of who’s it is), usually. Slow and very slow actions are completed two turns later, though anyone attempting to interfere has a disadvantage of 2 during the second turn after. Once again, this is merely the “usual” case. The GM may rule otherwise.

When two characters are performing actions that directly affect another, an opposed movement check is made. Each character gains +10 to their movement for each advantage they have over the other, and the character with the higher movement performs their action first. For example, Jim starts casting a very slow spell on his turn. It’s now the rat’s turn. The rat charges Jim and attempts a cancel melee attack. The cancel attack has a moderate execution time, which is two higher than very slow. The rat has an advantage of 20. Jim is a short distance away from the rat, and took his turn first. He has an advantage of 20 as well. Jim’s move is 44, and the rat’s is 11. Jim casts the spell before the rat manages its attack.

The Physicality of Casting MagicA telltale sign of magic casting is the magic rings which surround the caster. Whenever magic is originally cast, a number of magic rings appear centered at the caster equal to the complexity of the magic. The rings are of the same color as the magic being cast, and can face any which direction. Due to the release of mana, winds of force whirl about a caster of a spell. The pressure from the mana whirlwind often forces the caster into a tense pose, too focused on the casting to resist. The whirlwind is not so intense to where the caster cannot move however, and the caster retains the sense to avoid obvious harm. While casting, a caster has a movement penalty equal to the mana spent on the spell. Also, the whirlwind provides a penalty to the accuracy of attacks targeting the caster equal to the mana spent on the spell (effectively negating the penalty to movement for the purposes of dodging attacks).

Casting magic requires that the caster call upon runic patterns that comprise the spell which they are trying to cast. As no two casters cast alike, the pattern of a ‘fireworks’ spell may differ between two casters, but only slightly. Due to runic patterns, spells inevitably must be taught pictorially. Due to the difficulty of memorizing many patterns, those casters which desire more than a few spells at their disposal tend to lug around spellbooks or other objects inscribed with runic patterns. This way, they need merely glance (or trace, if blind) at the pattern, summon their will, and release sufficient mana.

Gaining Heroic AbilitiesHeroic abilities stem from the soul, and thus cannot be gained through any amount of practice, training, or exposure. Instead, a hero must discharge most of the magic stored within a fair sized silver crystal at a site strongly bound to him or her by other souls. This is generally achieved when a village, or other such population, out of gratitude of a hero, erects a shrine to said hero and attaches significant sentiment to the shrine. Discharging the crystal at the site will gather the sentiment and formulate new supernatural abilities for the hero. A shrine does not need to be directly devoted to any one hero, but at least must include the hero in its worship. A shrine to all heroes, therefore, would be usable by any hero. Once a shrine has been used, it requires new sentiment before it can be used again. In other words, it must gain either new worshipers or new worship.

Since the practice of shrine building is fairly well-known, most populations are willing to construct one provided a hero gives them reason to. It’s a form of payment for those populations which can spare no material gratitude. Populations thus have ‘favor’ values in regards to heroes or groups of heroes. Favor represents a populations regard for a hero, and as favor increases a population will be able to build/recharge more shrines for the appropriate hero(es). Favor does not mean the hero has to be liked, but rather that his or her actions have been appreciated. Favor may have other benefits as well, such as reduced prices, free lodging, and access to restricted areas.

Records and tales of multiple heroes using a single supernatural ability together exist, but it is unknown how such abilities were gained. The shrine method does not seem to support this function.

Colored DamageMany sources of damage are attributed to a color. For instance, all fire damage is considered red. Things, just like damage, can also be attributed to a color. All colors deal 50% less damage to targets attributed their own color, and deal 50% more damage to two other colors. This is known as color advantage. A table of color advantage is displayed below. A list of color advantage is presented below: